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Cheap Flights to Munich

When to fly

Peak season:

May through September is the peak tourist season and flights to Munich are likely to be more expensive. September/October are also very busy with the world renowned Oktoberfest crowds. The pre-Lenten celebration of Fasching (Carnival) is also very popular.

Off season:

April through May and September through October are good times to visit and grab cheap flights to Munich. November to March is cold and overcast, but there are few, if any, tourists in town.

Tollwood Festival takes place around November to December. It offers something for everyone, including, theatre, music performances, art and culinary delights. To get you into the festive spirit, the Winter Festival also has a charming Christmas market.

Why visit?

Find a cheap flight to Munich and you will visit an ancient centre of the arts and science, but the city is perhaps best known for its Oktoberfest. The beer festival that was first held in 1810 to mark the union of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese, is world famous but there is so much more to Bavaria's capital city than tankards of beer.

Bombed during the Second World War, Munich was rebuilt meticulously. Top tourist sites include the Englischer Garten, one of the world's largest public parks. The city centre, found within the traffic loop of the Altstadtring, has many iconic attractions such as the Rathaus-Glockenspiel and the Frauenkirche cathedral, the height of which no central building is allowed to exceed. Heading north of the centre along the Isar river is the splendid Englischer Garten, a long, wonderfully-maintained and peaceful park. West of here, Schwabing is a trendier area with many coffee places, exotic restaurants and bars, and some the city’s best art galleries and museums. Further west, the picturesque area where the 1972 Olympic Games were held has a tower with excellent views of the city. The eccentric BMW buildings are also here: a museum which looks like the BMW logo from above, and the company’s headquarters in the shape of four giant engine cylinders.

Marienplatz, in the city centre, with its gilded statue of the Virgin Mary, is dominated by two town halls - old and new. In the tower of the New Town Hall, the Glockenspiel (or carillion) depicts two events from Munich's history (a royal wedding and the Coopers' dance) each day while its 43 bells sound out folk tunes. The birthplace of Ludwig II (1845-1886) is the splendid Nymphenburg Palace, and the grand Ludwigstrasse is one of Munich's four royal avenues.

Munich climate

Summers are warm and thunderstorms are frequent. July and August are the warmest months with temperatures in the 20s. Cheaper flights to Munich can be found from December to February when the weather is cold with light snowfalls and temperatures dropping below zero.Munich’s proximity to the Alps causes some unusual weather fluctuations. Southwesterly winds can bring warm Föhn conditions a few days a year in autumn and winter. Conversely, in spring and summer northwesterly winds can bring Alpenstau, causing unseasonably low temperatures, rain and even snow.

Getting around Munich

Munich is easy to get around without putting a strain on your wallet. Commuter trains run all around the city and to the suburbs as well. Buses and any of the Mercedes taxis can get you around town. The S-Bahn (subway) stops at all the city’s highlights and runs from early morning to 1am. If you’re out late, hop on an all-night train or bus. If you’re travelling in one direction, you only need one ticket for any kind of transport system.

Getting Downtown from the airport

When your flight arrives at Munich International Airport (MUC), you can catch frequent commuter trains run by day and most of the night to various Munich stations, including the main stations for connections to major European cities. Taxis are available, as are buses to many regional destinations and the main train station. It takes about 20 minutes by train and about 45 minutes by road to reach the city centre.

Munich insider information

Oktoberfest takes place in late September and early October. A costume parade – which started with the marriage of King Ludwig I and Therese of Bavaria – processes from Maximilian Street to the Oktoberfest and there is the Entry of the Oktoberfest Staff and Breweries, which is the official start of the celebration.

Nymphenburg Palace, the summer palace of the Bavarian Elector, is set in formal gardens. Look out for the paintings commissioned by Ludwig I to prove that commoner women were just as attractive as aristocratic ladies.

The "English Garden" is Munich's largest urban public park and offers a lot of attractions including the beer garden at the "Chinesischer Turm".

BMW Museum – one for petrolheads. The "time horizons" exhibition takes you from the historic BMW sports car through legendary prototypes, to futuristic automobiles and motorcycles. The museum also explores subjects such as alternative propulsion methods, recycling and traffic management.

New Herrenchiemsee Castle (Neues Schloss Herrenchiemsee) is Ludwig II’s new Versailles. The palace has more than 20 state rooms (the Ambassador's Staircase, the Great Hall of Mirrors and the State Bedchamber). The palace park is also reminiscent of Versailles.

Konigssee is a 6-mile-long emerald-green mountain lake, considered the pearl of the Berchtesgadener Land. Some of the best views of Bavaria can be enjoyed here.